Hey everyone,

My 745 has something wrong in the front end that no one can seem to explain (including me). I have checked the FAQ several times, but it doesn't seem to have tny new ideas for me :( This 'clunk' is driving me INSANE! I bought the car in October '01 at 241K km and as far as I can remember, it's been making the clunk in some form ever since. The frist things to be replaced where the 4 radius rod bushings. They were replaced shortly after I bought the car and where replaced with heavy duty (police and taxi) Volvo bushings. The front shocks were replaced with KYBs just before I bought the car and have been replaced again reciently (to try to cure the clunk). All the swaybar bushings have been replaced with new poly bushings and both front ball joins have been replaced. The 4 remaining original bushings in the lower front appear to all be in good condition. The orignial ZF rack has been replaced with a good use TRW rack which has tight inner and outer tirerods. The upper strut bearings seemed fine the last time the shocks were replaced (a couple months ago) and my mechanic said the upper strut bushings appeared to be fine. I don't know how much longer I can take this clunk. It's most apparent at lower speeds (under 60 kph/40 mph) and over quick, sharp, bumps (lots of potholes around here. I avoid what I can). I can feel the clunk in my left foot when it's resting on the driver's footrest pad. Sometimes when I go over short dips in the road, I hear and feel one single sharp clunk. It's not too loud, but it's certainly there. Occasionally (like tonight), the driver's side will start to squeek which can be reproduced when the car is bounced by hand. The clunks cannot be heard except when driving. My Volvo mechanic and I have examined the front suspension several times and can't find anything wrong. My mechanic says the front end is in excellent condition. The only time I ever remember the clunk being somewhat quiet was after the radius rod bushings were replaced. Even then, the clunk returned to 'normal' after a short period :( Every time a part has been replaced and the problem has seemed to get quieter, it only returns in full force within a few weeks or less. I tried just forgetting about it and ignoring it, but it's just SO annoying. It also really bothers me knowing something isn't the way it should be. Anyway, HELP/advice would be GREATLY appreciated! And, if you have any questions that I haven't answered, just ask. I'd really(!) like to solve this on going problem. Oh, if it matters, the front brakes have been pulsing almost as long as I've had the car as well. I think the front rotors are a little warped. They were replaced along with the calipers just before I bought the car. We've cleaned the hubs, which improved the pulsing a bit. I can't see how this would cause or be related to the clunk. Thanks for any help!
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Chris. Halifax N.S. '91 745Ti, 273K km.

On my 1983 760 there was a clunk in the front end that turned out to be worn out calipers. The bore where the caliper mounting pins had worn so that the calipers were knocking when the car hit bumps in the road. I know that your later model 740 has a different style caliper mounting system, but since you have replaced so many other parts it might be worth checking out the calipers. I am assuming they front wheel bearings don't have excess play in them. Hope this helps you. John

Hi John,

Thanks for the idea. I'll look into it. I'm pretty sure the calipers are ok though because the front ones were replaced just before I bought the car and I have made sure they've had periodic servicing. The wheel bearings appear to be in good condition. Thanks for the good suggestions though :)
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Chris. Halifax N.S. '91 745Ti, 274K km.

Please remember the cone bushing bolts need to be tightened with the car on the ground and not up in the air, otherwisw the radius rods will be mis-aligned and the cone bushings will be damaged. You may hav to do this again.

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Warren Bain - '99 V70GLT G-Valve > 70K mi, '96 965 >110Kmi Wifemobile near Manassas Va.. Check the 700/900 FAQ via the 'features' pull down menu.

Yeas, I'm aware of this and I don't believe they were installed this way. I'm almost positive the were tightened when the car was on the lift. I told my mechanic about this, but he doesn't see how this could cause the bushings to fail. He's a Volvo mechanic, so he's done the radius rod (cone) bushings on many 700/900s and to the best of my knowledge, he always tightens them when the car is on the lift. He also always uses the "police and taxi" heavy duty bushings, because they are stronger then the normal bushings. So, why exactly do the bushings fail prematurely when tightened while the car is in the air? That's what my mechanic asked me, and I didn't know what to tell him. Also, the bushings appear to be fine when inspected and don't seem to have any play tipical of worn radius rod bushings. Thanks for the help!
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Chris. Halifax N.S. '91 745Ti, 274K km.

I must tell you... Many bricksters have had the same problems, Including myself. I can sympathize with you when you say "I tried to ignore it but it just drives you crazy". Things like this will most certainly cause some grief, angziety, and alow you to educate yourself a bit. Don't get overly frustrated, though.

You may have an issue with your radius rod bushings (especially if they car wasn't loaded with curb weight before they were tightened). This will cause premature part failure. Also, keep in mind, the suspension system is a "system". Which means it has many components that can cause one symptom. You will find that fixing one component in any system will not cure the symptom. It may take several diagnostic attempts.

Brake pusling is a good one. After replacing the radius rod bushings correctly there may still be a pulsing problem. I broke down and replaced the hub/rotor assembly. If you dig hard in the FAQ you will find that there was an engineering problem with the hub rotor assembly for 700 series Volvos up to and including the 1992 model year. This would be true if your car came with the one peice component. If your mechanic checks he will find a conversion kit to remedy this problem. All mechanics will not know to look for this unless he has seen this before. I almost had to force my mechanic to research for me to confirm this. My brakes are like new now.

I hope this information is helpful. Please, keep us informed.


740 GLE (229,000mi)

Hi Tim,

I think you may be right about the radius rod bushings, although they appear to be in good condition.

As for the hub assembly; I believe this is the fist time I've heard of that problem. I'll print your post and show it to my mechanic. That would be a fairly expensive thing to replace though wouldn't it? I'll see what my mechanic says. Thanks!
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Chris. Halifax N.S. '91 745Ti, 274K km.

check the big nuts that hold the struts into the strut housing. mine was clicking when those were a little loose. tighten them and all is quiet..
get the wheels off the ground and they are easy to get to. good luck.

I'll mention that to my mechanic. Although, he tightened the nuts with an air impact tool and I don't think It's possible for them to be much tighter :) We'll check them though.
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Chris. Halifax N.S. '91 745Ti, 274K km.

the "bolts" im talking about are under the strut boots near the bottom of the coil spring. if you jack up the car you can lift up the boots and see them. they are tighten by a spanner or a punch and hammer. i tighten mine as tight as possible but after i drove the car they loosen a little. good luck.

I had a clunk that was driving me nuts after front shock replacement. Turned out to be the "gland nut" ( large nut that holds the shock in the strut) was loose. Jack up the side you think is involved, remove the wheel and with a large screwdriver or cold chisel with the cutting edge ground flat, place it against one of the "tabs" of the nut and strike with a hammer in the CW direction to tighter it. If it is loose, continue tapping it until tight. If this nut is loose, the shock can move within the strut causing a clunk. Good luck!

bl

Thanks bl, I'll check them.
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Chris. Halifax N.S. '91 745Ti, 274K km.

Check the steering u-joints. Check the rack input shaft for play. Reach down and move the rach input shaft.

Check the u-joints as well. Watch out for the sharp metal down there.

You might also have to overtighten the cone bushing bolts. You did clean out all the old bushing material from the lower control arm?
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Warren Bain - '99 V70GLT G-Valve > 70K mi, '96 965 >110Kmi Wifemobile near Manassas Va.. Check the 700/900 FAQ via the 'features' pull down menu.

Proper intallation of the replaced components is assumed. About all that you have not changed are the control arm bushings, the sway bar mount and link bushings (these can crack and cause a bump) and the control arm rear stay bushings. At 271k you might consider these as candidates.

Hi Steve,

You've got it, except that the swaybar links and all swaybar bushings have been replaced. We have checked the other bushings and they appear to be fine. I'm not sure if the radius rod (cone) bushings were replaced properly, although they appear to have no play or wear when inspected......
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Chris. Halifax N.S. '91 745Ti, 274K km.

We checked the steering u-joints when we replaced the rack a couple months ago. They seemed to be just fine. Well lubed too. I don't remember if we checked the rack input shaft for play. The noise has been pretty much the same with both racks though. It's possible that the cone bushing bolts were not installed properly. This has been a suspicion of mine for a while. The bushings appear to be fine though when the suspension is examined while the car is on the lift. I may have them replaced again to see what happens.......Thanks!
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Chris. Halifax N.S. '91 745Ti, 273K km.

Normally nwhen someone says "I have a clunk" and especially if they then say "and oh, my brakes pulsate a bit", it it most certainly the radius rod bushings as you call them. If they are worn, they will make the front end clunk and they will not only create pulses when you brake, they will actually warp your discs for you. In fact, problems with the control arm are so intimatley linked to the symptoms you describe that I am going to suggest the following, somewhat drastic action: get brand new or almost new from a scrapped car control arms, then get new upper and lower control arm bushings and then get poly radius rod bushings from IPD. It may sound a bit drastic but if everything else is replaced... Other than that, I can only think of replacing the few bits left to replace, i.e. spring and strut rod bushing and bearing.

Perhaps even crazier but have you checked that nothing else is lose, like the engine, transmission, fuel pump...
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George Holmer, Belgium, Europe, 1987 745 GLE Turbo Diesel Intercooler (D24TIC/M46) 200k; 1988 745 Turbo Intercooler (B230FT/M46) 290k; 1988 745 GL (B200E/M47) 190k

Thanks for the quick response. I'll take your message and discuss it with my mechanic. I was considering replacing the radius rod bushings again, which my mechanic offered to do for free (We're friends).

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Chris. Halifax N.S. '91 745Ti, 273K km.